Bandaranaike International Airport with a private driver

Bandaranaike International Airport (IATA: CMB) at Katunayake is the entry point for nearly all international travellers to Sri Lanka, handling over 11 million passengers per year. The airport is 35 kilometres north of Colombo city centre — approximately 45 minutes by private car on the E03 expressway — and sits between Colombo and Negombo, the beach town 8 kilometres to the north that is the traditional first-night stop for arrivals from Europe and the Middle East. Private drivers can be arranged to meet arriving passengers at the arrivals hall exit at any hour; typical transfer times are 45 minutes to Colombo city, 15 minutes to Negombo, 90 minutes to Bentota or Kalutara, 3.5 hours to Kandy, 3.5 hours to Sigiriya via the expressway, and 6 hours to Ella. The E03 expressway from Katunayake to Colombo South is the fastest road in Sri Lanka; from Colombo South the A1 continues to Kandy, and the E04 expressway heads south toward Galle.